


The scent of a flower, it's yours.

by Anonymous



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Captain Oh Sehun x Nurse Jongin, First Confession in a Fun Fair, Flower - Lilac, Librarian Sehun, M/M, Reincarnation, Trigger Warning - Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 22:07:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29940102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: For the very breath I take; I remember you. Like the first bloom in spring, the first sunshine in the morning; it’s you. Only you.
Relationships: Kim Jongin | Kai/Oh Sehun
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11
Collections: monthlysekai's Flower Garden





	The scent of a flower, it's yours.

**Author's Note:**

> Bouquet of Lilac for monthlysekai's Challenge #5  
> #41 Lilac: Expression of love, also symbolizes rebirth, innocence, wisdom and remembrance.
> 
> Title from Kai - Mmmh  
> Happy reading

They say true love is written in the stars – everlasting. Lives after lives lovers return to each other, to live the true love with one another. Some call it soulmates; some say it's true love. Some would just say its fate and some would call it destiny. It’s a blissful journey of two souls. No one can predict when soulmates will meet. It’s a strong connection where nothing could break it. Breaking it would be as if trying to reach for the stars – impossible. Therefore, soulmates are for eternity.

2021

Jongin knew there was a connection when he first saw the tall male in the public library where he worked as a librarian. The glasses and buttoned up shirt looked questionable but Jongin was attracted beyond words. He didn’t stalk the male – no – he needed help and the handsome librarian was his closest help. The tall male came to his rescue instantly, getting a short ladder for him to get the thick reference book from the top shelf. 

“I think I have seen you before,” Jongin said to the young man whose name was written on a tag around his neck; Oh Sehun. 

“Are you flirting with me?” Sehun questioned. He looked angry and uncomfortable. Jongin stuttered an apology and walked away. He wasn’t flirting. As far as he knew, he didn’t need to flirt with Sehun. Glancing up from his thick reference book, Jongin watched Sehun work on some books on the trolley, putting them back to where they belonged. For what he knew; Sehun belonged somewhere too.

1615 

Sehun received a letter from his mother.

_ ‘We’ve found a great match for you. When you return, we’ll have you both meet. Stay safe my dear.’ _

Sehun laughed and kept the letter in his pocket. “What got you smiling to yourself, Sehun?” his crewmate asked him as they walked along the deck. The sea was calm and their navy exercise was yet to start until a few hours, “My mother has chosen a boy for me,” Sehun shared and immediately, his crewmate teased, “The Captain has got a boy!”

Sehun returned home that summer. His mother introduced them. The boy whose name was Kim Jongin, smiled politely all the time but he dared not look at Sehun. He was extremely shy. “Go on, talk,” the woman said and they did.

Sehun would say he’s good at socializing but yet, he couldn’t speak in front of the shy, smitten boy. They walked slowly along the park and finally, Sehun gathered some courage; he’s a navy captain for heaven’s sake! “What do you do?” he asked and in his mind, the question sounded so simple. The shy one chuckled, “I’m a nurse.”

Sehun widened his eyes, “Where are you posted?”

“Not yet, but father is pulling some strings to get me somewhere.”

“You want to apply as a military nurse? In the navy base?” Sehun offered and the shy nurse stopped walking to look at him, “I can help you get in. I’m an officer.” Sehun assured the other. Sehun knew someone in the hospital and a recommendation could get Jongin through. “You’re very kind Captain Oh,” Jongin said softly with his blinding smile.

Two months later, Sehun ran to the nearest phone booth and dialed a number, “Hi, can I speak with Jongin please?”

“Sehun! Son, how are you?”

“I’m sorry sir, will you get Jongin for me quickly?” he looked back, tapping his foot anxiously. He was in a rush but he had to share the news.

“Sehun?” Jongin took the call, “How are you?”

“I’m fine, baby,” Sehun answered, calming down. Jongin’s voice did things to him. “I have good news for you.”

“What is it?”

“You’re coming here. I got a post for you in the Navy Hospital.”

“You’re not joking right?” Jongin laughed. He sounded happy and Sehun loved how he sounded. Jongin made everything better for him.

“I am very serious, my love. I will see you when you get here.”

“Wait for me?” Jongin lowered his voice when he said it, almost a whisper and Sehun just couldn’t contain his emotions, “I love you so much. It’s crazy.” Sehun whispered back, “I will wait for you.”

The day Jongin got a hand with his job, Sehun was out at sea. He was just beginning to treat a patient when the siren blared throughout the camp. “What’s happening?” The nurses asked, the doctors looked confused too and all of a sudden some soldiers rushed in, “The navy crew were under attack! We have casualties!”

Sehun couldn’t see who dragged him out of the waters, how he got to land. Everything remained hazy. His head pounded like crazy, it ached. He could smell blood; he could taste blood. His arm was limp as if it had given away effort to be useful. All he could remember was Jongin;  _ Jongin _ .  _ Jongin _ .  _ Jongin _ . He was supposed to meet the pretty nurse today. “Jongin,” he groaned but someone pushed him back, “You need to lie back, Captain!” he blinked his eyes weakly. It was a lady nurse.

“Jongin. Get me Jongin.” He whispered weakly. He felt cold. He needed Jongin. He needed to see Jongin. “He’s a nurse,” he mumbled.

“Find Jongin! The nurse!” Someone screamed, but all Sehun could hear and think about was Jongin and his sweet soft giggle. He knew he wouldn’t last. “Jongin,” he breathed, forcing his eyes to stay open. “Jongin,” he tried, calling for the other but through his hooded eyelids, he couldn’t see Jongin. The other nurses were trying to keep him awake, cleaning his wounds but nothing of that could keep him alive.

“Sehun!!!” Jongin screamed and interlaced their fingers, “Baby, stay awake for me!” Jongin begged. Tears decorated his beautiful face and he could smell the soft flowery scent from Jongin;  _ Lilac _ .

“Stay with me, baby!” Jongin begged and kissed his knuckles.

  
  


1878 

He jumped out of bed once again; sweaty. He had the same recurring dream; a blast in the military base camp, killing everyone. Why did he keep dreaming of the blast? What did it have to do with him? A gruesome dream like that could not mean anything.

He splashed some cold water over his face and stared at his reflection in the mirror. Who was the man? The dream showed him more this time; there were two men. One was badly injured and the other was holding his hand. “Who?” he whispered to his reflection, “Who are you?”

His hands shivered when he walked to the beach. He needed to calm down but he was shivering. The emotions in his heart, the way it was beating confused him. The sea was his safe place, but it didn’t feel that way anymore. From a distance, he heard the siren. He focused his hearing on the siren and followed the patrol cars as they passed his sight.

It was still too early to go home and after that nightmare, he usually skipped sleeping. He continued walking along the shore, feeling the breeze. It felt nice, but the dream continued haunting his thoughts. He walked as far as his legs allowed and came to a stop when he found someone leaning against a huge rock, smoking.

“You come here often at this time?” the stranger asked.

“Sometimes,” he answered.

“I had the strangest fucking dream.” The stranger chuckled, stepping on the cigarette bud. He wished he could share his gruesome dream but the stranger looked like he had a worser dream. “What was it about?”

“I had a lover and I saw him die in a blast…”

His heart started to beat erratically. “It could just be a dream,” he tried to console the stranger but something tugged in his chest. “I had this same dream for sometime now…” the stranger muttered, “The place looked like a base camp.”

He widened his eyes, “Were you holding hands in the dream?” he asked, looking carefully at the stranger, especially his hands. “How did you know?” the stranger asked, shocked.

“Someone lied on the bed and the other was kneeling…”

“Yeah. How do you know!?”

“Because I get the same dream…” he revealed. The stranger got off the rock and strode towards him, “Where did you get that?” The stranger demanded, pointing towards the mark on his cheek, “I don’t remember,” he answered, “I had it since I was a child.”

“You know…” he chuckled, ruffling his hair as the wind blew. “The person I saw on the bed had a cut on his cheeks.” he pointed, “Exactly there.”

“Who are you?” he asked the stranger, catching a sweet smell in the air. The scent was familiar; extremely familiar, awakening all his senses and memories. He knew someone who smelled like this. This flowery scent was rooted deep in his soul;  _ Lilac _ .

The stranger lit another cigarette and puffed out smoke, “Kim Jongin.”

1528 

“How will you ask him out?” His best friend encouraged him with a few ideas of a perfect proposal. “He’s good at crocheting, why don’t you get him those tools?”

Sehun watched his love interest stand in front of a cotton candy stand. He whined and pouted, contemplating between two colours. Both tasted the same, but Sehun knew which Jongin should pick. Jongin should take the pink cotton candy. Pink looked perfect on him and anything pink made Jongin looked a lot cuddlier and cuter. Jongin’s friend wasn’t much of a help so he decided to take matters into his hands.

“Here,” he passed the pink cotton candy and paid for it. “Pink looks good on you.” He said and walked away as Jongin’s best friend screeched. “Did Sehun just buy you a pink cotton candy?! You’re so lucky!”

Lucky was not what he’d label it. Coming to ask Jongin out, he was never lucky. One; Sehun gets awkward and second; Jongin would look and stare into his mind. His soul would tremble in his body. He tried before. He tried so many times, gathered so much courage but Jongin was so difficult to reach. He is beautiful. He shines brightly, he’s warm – he’s a star. But, Sehun was just the opposite to everything Jongin is.

“Do you think he’d say yes to me?” he asked his friend.

“You should see the way he looks at you…”

“He stares at me.”

“Yes, but he stares as if you’re his world.”

“That’s not possible.”

“Just ask him out, Sehun. You have to try.” His friend encouraged him again.

Sehun wanted to try. He really did. Yet, Jongin’s status scared him. Jongin belonged to the Kim household. “I love him so much. I not only want to ask him out, but I want to live with him, have a family.”

“For that, you have to ask him out. If you don’t try, you’d keep regretting.”

Sehun kept thinking about it;  _ if he doesn’t try, he’d keep regretting _ . And that was what he had been doing – regretting. He should try already. Lying on his bed, he thought of a simple proposal that would woo his pretty Jongin. Flowers.

He walked into the market looking for flowers. An old man sold them in a bouquet. He studied each one of them, learning their names. Some of them smelled good. “What are these called?” Sehun asked the man, pointing to a bouquet of red flowers. “Those are roses, son. They say it’s the flowers of love.”

“Flowers of love?”

“Yeah. Roses are commonly used to declare love.”

Sehun hummed. He didn’t want something common. Jongin is not common. “What about these?” he pointed to the light purplish flower. They looked beautiful and smelled good; heady, sweet and intense. As he stared at those flowers, he began to like them. The intoxicating fragrant reminded him of Jongin. “They’re called Lilac.” The man informed him. “Symbolizing innocence and first love.”

Sehun smiled. It’s the perfect flower. No wonder the attraction to it was stronger than roses. Jongin is his first love. He had this innocent aura around him too.

“Are you planning to give it to someone?” the old man asked.

“Yes,” Sehun answered. “He’s my first love.”

“Then you should definitely take them.” The man took those flowers out of the long jar and wrapped them beautifully, “Do you think he’d say yes?” Sehun asked, holding the Lilac in his hands. They really did smell so good. He imagined Jongin smelling like Lilacs.

“You look so much in love, why wouldn’t he? Good luck.”

Sehun held the flowers close to his chest and walked to the evening fair. He prepared his speech and repeated them over and over again. He will not stutter on his words and make a fool of himself. He genuinely wants to love Jongin; with rights. He wants to protect the other, die for him.

As he entered the fair, he spotted Jongin. He was alone and that was enough to magically push Sehun towards him. Jongin was looking at the Ferris Wheel when Sehun cleared his throat, “Hi,” he greeted, “These are for you,” he passed the flowers to Jongin.

The pretty one smiled beautifully and sniffed the flowers, “They smell sweet.”

“They remind me of you,” Sehun answered honestly and walked with Jongin.

“How so?” Jongin continued smelling those flowers, stealing glances towards Sehun. “Because you’re sweet and beautiful, just like them.”

Jongin giggled, “Now they’ll remind me of you.”

Sehun tilted his head, “Why?”

“Because you’re the only who’s ever got me flowers.”

Sehun smiled widely, “Jongin…”

“Mmmhmm.”

“I like you.” Sehun confessed, “I actually love you.” He stopped and reached for Jongin’s hand, “I really do, and I want to spend the rest of my life, loving you.”

Jongin bit his lips and looked around. Some of the villagers were looking at them, “You gave me Lilac that symbolizes first love…” Sehun nodded, “I guess,” Jongin said and pulled a stalk out of the bouquet, “I should give you one too because I really do like you too.”

Happiness doesn’t last. That was what Jongin learnt when he received the news of Sehun’s disappearance. Their sweet, innocent love was cursed. He knew it. And he suspected his family. They hated him, they hated seeing Jongin with Sehun.  _ “I will meet you in another life, Sehun. Always. I will be yours, always.” _ He whispered and slit his wrist.

2021 

There were certain memories that kept repeating itself in his head – especially the flower. That flower had been his identity all these lives. It’s that same flowery scent that triggered the memories of his love; Sehun.

Jongin went back to the library again and searched for a certain librarian. He needed to reach out to Sehun, fall in love and have their happy-ever-after. It has been so many lives; and none of it gave them a happy ending. He understood that death will be the only separation between them but all those lives, love didn’t get to grow. They never got to feel and live the love.

“You’re following me,” Jongin dropped the books in his hands and stared at the librarian. “I’m not. I only wanted to see you.”

“That’s considered following.”

“No.”

“What do you want from me?” Sehun snapped and looked annoyed as usual. “I am Kim Jongin.” Jongin introduced himself, hoping that his name would ring a bell. “Do you remember me?” Sehun squinted his eyes and frowned, “No,” he answered but Jongin knew he was lying. He knew Sehun for so many lives and he knows when he’s lying. “Sehun, wait.” Jongin stood in front of the other, “You do remember me. I know you all these lives, I know when you’re lying.”

Sehun sighed and rested his hands on his waist, “Fine. I know who you’re.”

“Then why didn’t you look for me? Sehun, we missed a lot -” “Listen Jongin,” Sehun interrupted him, “It’s too late now.”

“What do you mean?” Jongin asked. Fear creeped into his heart thinking of another separation. “I lost you so many times, Sehun. Not again.”

“I am engaged, to be married to a girl,” Sehun confessed, casting his eyes downwards and Jongin heard his own heart breaking into millions of pieces. “Not again,” his voice cracked, “Not again,” he cupped his mouth. He started to cry, “You can’t do this to me…” Jongin reached out to punch Sehun on his chest, “You promised to love me! You promised to love me for the rest of your life.”

“I am so sorry, Jongin.” Sehun held his hand and interlaced their fingers. The touch was so familiar and images of their past lives flashed through his eyes. Sehun’s strong hands always kept him safe. Holding hands with Sehun reminded him of home; the home they had dreamed of.

“When’s the wedding?” he asked.

“In two days…”

“Can I go? As a guest?” Jongin looked into Sehun’s eyes. They never got to be married in any of their lives so maybe, this could be the last of their fates. “Sure.” Sehun answered.

~

Jongin arrived on time and looked for Sehun. He wanted to see Sehun one last time. However, he was nowhere to be seen. Everyone looked tense too and he overheard, “The groom is missing.” 

Jongin ran out to look for Sehun. Jongin knows by heart Sehun isn't missing. He just didn’t want to get married to the girl.  Jongin believed in their fate and love. He ran to the library and searched for his soulmate.

“You found me,” Jongin heard and stepped back to look between the rows. He found Sehun leaning against the shelf, looking at him.

“We always find each other.” He replied and pulled Sehun in for a kiss.


End file.
